Guardians of the Gender Gap: How Saudi Arabia’s Guardianship System Harms Women—and the Economy
Amal contacted me two years ago. She was 30 years old, a junior university professor, and she needed help. For four years her father had beaten her, locked her in her room, and threatened to stop her from working because she wanted to marry a non-Saudi professor. Now she wanted to explore a potential escape...
Amal contacted me two years ago. She was 30 years old, a junior university professor, and she needed help. For four years her father had beaten her, locked her in her room, and threatened to stop her from working because she wanted to marry a non-Saudi professor. Now she wanted to explore a potential escape from the country of her birth, Saudi Arabia.
For a Saudi woman, personal choice is a luxury. Her decisions must conform to her male guardian’s. Only women with agreeable guardians can control their lives. The rest must live with whatever limitations their guardians dictate.
The influence of oil giant Saudi Aramco across football, Formula 1 racing, and golf reveals how closely Saudi Arabia’s sports policy aligns with its energy transition and sustainability agenda.
Oman’s Military Discipline Program uses military codes to promote top-down objectives, such as strengthening social cohesion, responsibility, and a sense of national belonging among young Omanis.
Hosting the World Cup will be a huge opportunity for Saudi Arabia, supporting Vision 2030 reforms. While preparations for the tournament will be costly, they will boost economic growth and could spur further social change.
The euphoria that accompanied the launch of “Saudi Vision 2030” has begun to dim in the face of fundamental challenges. Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdelaziz Al-Saud’s ambitious plan to steer the country’s economy away from oil dependency and through an era of austerity seemed to offer a much-needed roadmap for overdue reforms....
In the past few years, women have been increasingly assuming leadership positions in public and private sectors of Saudi Arabia. In addition to being appointed to municipal councils and the Royal Advisory Shura Council, a handful of women have now been chosen as directors of financial institutions, a dean of a university, an undersecretary for...
This paper examines the impact of inadequate health education and preventative health measures on women’s reproductive and sexual health care as well as mental health care.
The year 2016 witnessed a dramatic economic transformation in Saudi Arabia that triggered unprecedented political changes. Vision 2030, released at the end of 2015, created a roadmap to wean Saudi Arabia off its oil-based economy. Empowering women and materializing their potentials was one of the main objectives of Vision 2030. In addition, a state-commissioned McKinsey report stressed...
Aug 11, 2016
Guardians of the Gender Gap: How Saudi Arabia’s Guardianship System Harms Women—and the Economy
Amal contacted me two years ago. She was 30 years old, a junior university professor, and she needed help. For four years her father had beaten her, locked her in her room, and threatened to stop her from working because she wanted to marry a non-Saudi professor. Now she wanted to explore a potential escape...
1 min read